The Stars knew the much larger Blues would come out and be physical against them in Game 1 of the teams' second-round Western Conference playoff series.
The Stars did not shrink from the challenge. They shut out the Blues for more than 2 1/2 periods before prevailing in an incredibly physical final 10 minutes and winning 2-1 to go up 1-0 in the best-of-seven series.
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"We played them as hard as we could on the physical front," Dallas coach Lindy Ruff told reporters afterward.
Center Radek Faksa assisted on the first Stars goal, then stuck in the game-winner with 4:44 to play in the third period.